Centrifugal type projecting device



J1me 1970- G. H. DARRELL CENTRIFUGAL TYPE P ROJECTING DE VICE Filed Aug. 15. 1968 NVENTOR. GEORGE H. DARRELL 3,517,656 CENTRIFUGAL TYPE PROJECTING DEVICE George H. Darrell, 25 Chestnut St., Dedham, Mass. 02026 Filed Aug. 13, 1968, Ser. No. 752,356 Int. Cl. F41f 7/00 US. Cl. 124-7 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A target trap of catapult type for training purposes including a spring steel rod afiixed at one end and carrying a target seat at an intermediate point in its length, together with means for latching the rod under tension at its free end and a stop for arresting unlatched movement of the rod in launching a target. Projecting pins are provided on the target seat and engage a series of pins on an adjacent support to impart rotary movement to the target seat and a projectile thereon as the rod moves upward after being unlatched. The target seat also is adjustable about the longitudinal axis of the rod so that the target may be launched into the air in flatwise or edge wise condition. A spiral twist is provided at the fixed end of the rod to adjust the rods propelling force.

This invention comprises a new and improved target trap of the catapult for throwing targets in the process of training instinctive shooting.

Since man has handled firearms there have been three or four out of every hundred Who have had the natural gift of instinctive shooting, that is to say, the capacity of hitting close range targets without making any conscious effort to aim. These shooters have only to look at the target without relying in any way on the gun sights. In order to teach the average shooter this special skill and capacity a spring-operated air rifle firing a standard BB bullet has been found extremely useful. This is partly because the low velocity of bullets permits its flight toward the target to be followed in the air as a tracer.

The object of the present invention is to provide a trap for throwing into the air a disk which will serve as a moving target within air rifle range. As herein shown my improved trap utilizes an elongated spring steel rod which is fixed at one end and carries a target seat and an intermediate point in its length together with means for latching the rod under tension at its fi'ee end and a stop for arresting unlatched movement of the rod to launch a target therefrom.

A trap of this general characted has the advantage of simple and compact construction requiring no expensive machining operations in its production. It is reliable and uniform in its operation and costs nothing to operate.

An important feature of the invention resides in means for launching the target in whirling state. This is effected by providing a target seat which is mounted for rotation on the rod at an intermediate point in its length and providing actuating mechanism which operates during the rapid unlatched movement of the spring rod to set the target seat in rotation.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view in elevation,

FIG. 2 is a plan view, and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the target seat and its mounting, indicating a limited range of angular adjustment of the seat.

As herein shown the essential element of the trap is United States Patent 3,517,656 Patented June 30, 1970 ice projecting upwardly from a fixed base 17 which may conveniently be of channel cross section. The post 12 has a series of spaced holes so that the fulcrum stud 11 may be set at the desired height. From the stud 11 the rod 10 extends rearwardly and is secured to the rear side of an anchor post 13 provided with a series of spaced sockets to receive a collar 14 adjustably secured to the end of the rod. The rod 10 thus has adjustable connections both with the fulcrum post 12 and the anchor post 13.

Parallel upright guides 18' extend from the base 17 and receive between them a sliding block 19 which is adjustably secured to the spring rod 10. The ends of the guides 18 are connected by a yoke 20 in which is mounted a bumper 21. The guides 18 serve to confine the rod 10 to movement in a vertical plane from latched position to target delivery position while the bumper 21 carried by the yoke 20 abruptly arrests the unlatched movement of the rod.

The guides 18 are located at an intermediate point in the length of the rod 10. The free end of the rod may be forcibly depressed and temporarily secured by a pivoted latch 22 secured to the left end of the base, the rod being thus held under stress in downwardly inclined position from the fulcrum stud 20.

At an intermediate point between the fulcrum post 12 and the guides 18 the rod 10 is provided with a sleeve 25 carrying a rotary target seat 26. The sleeve 25 is adjustably secured to the rod 10 by clamping bolts 27 which thus provides for longitudinal and angular adjustment of the target seat upon the rod. The target seat has a circular target holder provided with a rubber gasket 28 and a tapered downwardly projecting hub 29. The seat has also a central projecting stub 30 which serves to hold a target temporarily in place by shallow entry into a central perforation therein.

The hub 29 of the target seat makes driven connection with a driving member 31 freely rotatable upon the shaft and having a tapering end surface making contact with the tapering hub 29 of the target seat. The driving member 31 has a series of radially projecting pins 32 and together with the driving member 31 is urged toward the driven target seat by a spring 33 encircling the rod 10 backed up by an adjustable collar 34.

The radial pins 32 of the driving member are arranged to mesh with a series of pins 35 projecting radially from a post 36 set in the base 17 of the trap and arranged in vertical spaced relation. It will be apparent that when the latch 22 tripped releasing the rod 10 the latter is snapped at high velocity through a vertical arc into the position shown in FIG. 1 and that in this unlatched movement the pins 32 mesh with the stationary pins 35 and impart very rapid rotary movement through the pins 32 to the driving head 31 and the associated target seat. The result is that, when the block 19 strikes the bumper 21 the spinning target is thrown into the air within fair range of the shooter.

As shown in FIG. 1 the target seat is in position on the rod 10 to launch the target in flatwise spinning flight. It will be apparent, however, that by loosening the bolts 27 the sleeve 25 together with the rotatable target seat may be angularly adjusted upon the rod 10 so as to launch the target while spinning vertically edgewise or at any intermediate angle. It will be clear that the driving relationship of the member 31 and the hub 29 is maintained throughout all adjustments of this character. The center 3 stud 30 is smoothly tapered so that the target releases itself in the shock of the rod against the bumper 21.

While the trap is herein shown as organized to employ a single spring steel rod 10 as a carrier and a source of energy, the flight of the target may be increased by employing a pair of rods connected in parallel and acting together in their unlatched movement.

It is also contemplated that spinning of the target seat may be brought about by directly engaging the driven member 31 with an upright friction member rather than by means of the meshing pins 32 and 35.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A target trap of the catapult type including in its structure an elongated spring steel rod fixed at one end and carrying a target seat at an intermediate point in its length, means for latching the rod under tension at its free end, and a stop for arresting unlatched movement of the rod in launching a target means for imparting rotary movement to said target seat relative to said rod upon said rod being released from its latched position so that a target on said seat may be propelled as a projectile upwardly with rotary movement imparted thereto.

2. A target trap as described in claim 1 further characterized in that the said spring steel rod includes a spiral twist adjacent to its fixed end, together with adjustable means for changing the stress of the spiral twist in the rod.

3. A target trap as described in claim 1, further characterized in that an upright guide in provided for controlling the unlatched movement of the rod together with a stop for arresting such movement.

4. A target trap as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the said rotatable seat has radially projecting pins arranged to mesh with a series of stationary pins during the unlatched movement of the rod and so rotate the seat.

5. A target trap as described in claim 4, further characterized in that the said seat is mounted to rotate about an axis at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said rod and that the rod has a driving head rotatable about the longitudinal axis of said rod.

6. A target trap as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the said target seat is mounted for rotary adjustment on the spring rod so that a target may be launched into the air in flatwise or edgewise position.

7. A target trap as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the target seat is provided with means for retaining a circular target thereon during rotary launching movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,051,470 1/1913 Waldmann 1247 3,394,691 7/1968 Brink 124-7 GEORGE J. MARLO, Primary Examiner W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 124-36, 42 

